Manipulation and trapping of magnetic skyrmions with domain walls in chiral magnetic thin films

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how chiral domain walls can be used to manipulate, trap, and store magnetic skyrmions in thin films, advancing potential spintronic nano-device applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of controlling magnetic skyrmions using domain walls, including trapping, absorption, and phase manipulation techniques.

Findings

Skyrmions can be stored between domain walls.

Absorption of skyrmions forms kink structures.

Phase changes can erase or store skyrmions.

Abstract

In this article we use chiral domain walls to manipulate and trap magnetic skyrmion quasi-particles in chiral magnetic materials such as ultrathin Co/Pt films. The magnetic skyrmions can be orientated such that their interaction with domain walls is repulsive, allowing for them to be stored between domain walls. In certain orientations, the skyrmion can be absorbed into the domain wall, forming a domain wall kink. In other orientations, it can absorbed to form a kink-antikink domain wall with zero topological charge. The magnetic skyrmion can even be orientated in such a way that it remains trapped but creates a topological defect-antidefect pair in one of the walls. By altering the phases of one of the chiral domain walls, one can erase or store the magnetic skyrmion as an isolated soliton or as a domain wall skyrmion/antiskyrmion. This adds a valuable asset to an ever growing toolbox of spintronic nano-devices.